We have a horse in the rescue right now....beautiful older girl named Jolene. She came to us from a lady whose father had just died - he had owned this gorgeous mare and had her out in pasture for years with little to no "peer interaction" or mental stimulation. She's not "broke" to ride and has really never even had a saddle on her back. She basically sat out in pasture and only received attention/stimulation when the neighborhood kids came and gave her treats - which she adores, as most horses do.
I haven't interacted with her much - as a matter of fact, she's spent a good deal of time sick since she came to the barn. But one of my last visits up there, my heart really went out to this beautiful and, I think, greatly misunderstood animal. Which is ironic because on the last visit, she nipped at my shoulder and pushed both Gretchen and Amber away. They shook their heads in frustration and we walked away from her... but I glanced back and my heart just wrenched... "It's not her fault" I wanted to plead with no one in particular. I've watched her nip at the neighboring horses and startle away from a gentle touch. While many would dismiss her as just being a crotchety old "nag", I see so much more in her. The woman she is most familiar with - her former owner's daughter - brings her apples sometimes. I watched one day while the woman stood just outside of the barn entrance, talking on her cell phone. Jolene's nose pressed against the stall and she listened intently, obviously recognizing her voice and anxiously attentive to what she was doing.
It all served to remind me how sensitive and complex these animals are and how often their own "quirks" and personalities mirror human behavior. Horses are "flight" animals and react and operate according to that nature - they're not aggressors and act out generally only if they are truly afraid. And it saddens me to see such a beautiful horse as this who has learned to be mistrustful, solitary, and wary because someone didn't love her enough to provide the basic attention and things that she needed. You can write them off as simple, dumb animals that only need food and water to survive, but you do them - and ultimately yourself - a great disservice. Just like a child that went for years without the love and comfort that are essential to growth and basic functionality in life, Jolene is proof that a horse can also experience pain and heartache and lash out because of it in ways that are hard to comprehend.
Neglect can manifest itself in ways less obvious than the picture of a starving and ill horse left to waste away. Neglect is about witholding even more than just physical needs. It's my hope that through the rescue, horses like Jolene, who are jaded and world weary, would come to experience pure and unadulterated love....no judgment...love that is available to them for just being.

Saturday, October 28, 2006: First Annual PHH Equine Art Fair/Private Treaty Horse Sale Fundraiser This Saturday at Black Raven Stables, People Helping Horses is hosting its first annual Equine Art Fair fundraiser event. We will be featuring several local "equine centered" artists and their work. There will also be a private treaty horse sale and concessions on site. We have secured radio and tv advertising to run this week and are hoping to generate a huge crowd and gain lots of support for the rescue! The event will run at the barn from 11am until 5pm and a percentage of the day's proceeds will go back into the rescue to support our work.

In loving memory of Freeman...

Freeman, a 26 year old beautiful and gentle Appaloosa gelding, came into PHH rescue a year ago, retired from Warm Beach Christian Camp. Diagnosed with ringbone and arthritis, he had difficulty moving and exercising. He was taken into a loving foster home for a time and was popular with everyone that encountered his gentle spirit. We welcomed him back to the barn with open arms a little over a month ago and spent much time trying to make him as comfortable as possible with corrective shoes, etc. In the end, Freeman just could not be comfortable the way a horse needs and deserves to be. Gretchen had to make the difficult decision. He passed on to the Rainbow Bridge in peace on Thursday evening, surrounded by those that loved him and worked so hard on his behalf. I will miss his presence at the barn terribly. I know he is free of pain now, galloping happily in meadows of green that never end and playfully joining the others that have passed on before him. We love you so much, Freeman.

So I thought I'd "kick off" this blog by sharing the main reason behind my passion for the rescue and the work that it does. For those of you that know me, this will come as NO big surprise.........Tuff. There it is. That's my #1 motivation.
Of course he's not the only reason. I love horses and I care passionately about the welfare of animals in need. I admire Gretchen and the heart that motivates her to take in these animals, often uncared-for castoffs, even when her own times are hard and the barn is practically bursting with the number of horses it holds.
Tuff's story is not particularly heart wrenching. He's not ever going to make front page news of the Seattle Times for the way he came into PHH. But that doesn't matter. The fact that he's here, and he's come so far, is a testament in and of itself as to why the rescue is so vital in the work that it does.
He came into the rescue in December of 2005-ish and was ordered on stall rest because of abscesses in both back feet. Totally preventable, but what can you do? Anyway. He's a big, beautiful QH gelding with a wonderfully crooked white blaze down his face (my friend Becky fondly refers to it as his sneer) and gentle. Also in quite a bit of pain and unable to really just BE a horse. We started slow with long, gentle grooming sessions and short walks. He could usually be turned out into the soft dirt of the round pen, but nothing more and with no real exercise.
Coming up on our "one year anniversary", I am amazed at how far he's come. Particularly in the last few months. I've watched him transform from a weary, gentle, broken creature to a proud, strong-willed, and sometimes obstinate brat of a boy. He's not the typical gentle and sweet gelding that we've seen come through the rescue before, in different forms. This is not to say he's not a darling, because in my heart, he is. But he's also pushy, standoffish, bratty, and downright bossy at times. And I love him for all of those qualities.
I love him for the way he's in tune to me. I love him for the times I've come to the barn, broken and world weary myself and aching from the pains of a home in turmoil, and he's made me forget myself. He's made me forget, albeit temporarily, the pain. I stroke his long neck and feel the struggles he's been through and I've always felt, deep down, he understood mine too. I love him for the times he challenges me to do more, to stay on my toes and attentive to his needs. And I love him for the times he knows I just need an easy, quiet time with a friend. I remember in particular one time when I had just had an awful time and came to the barn, looking for escape. Tuff was turned out in the pasture and spotted me walking towards him from pretty far away and just watched the whole time (he's very much like that, he takes in everything). I let myself into the pasture and just stood with him for a while. He ambled over, sniffed at me a little (looking for treats, no doubt), then wandered off a bit and found a length of strap and gingerly picked it up in his teeth. He then started swinging his head up and down and tossing the strap around. In spite of my hurting, I couldn't stifle the laugh. After setting it down, he slowly came towards me and stood with his head inches from me. I reached out and stroked his neck, side, shoulders....the calming influence it had on me, and his sweet willingness to just....be...overwhelmed me. The tears started pouring down and I buried my face in his neck. In spite of this, I felt such a calm and such a peace wash over me, one that I've never had before. He just....knew. And I love him for it.
What is incredible about Tuff and his progress over this past year is his absolute resilience. He's been battered and knocked down, but he never fails to press forward and be himself. I've seen his own struggles mirror my own and I draw strength in just being near him. He's a part of my heart and I will never, ever be able to repay what he has been to me.
That's the beauty in animals. Frightened and abused, they are nevertheless so forgiving. So resilient. I can only hope to emulate a fraction of that in my own life.

Hi everyone and welcome to the first official People Helping Horses blog. I thought this would be a good way for everyone to keep in touch, remain updated about the most current rescue happenings, and just a forum to post general thoughts, feelings, and ideas about PHH rescue and horses. Please register and then feel free to pass this address on to anyone associated with or interested in the rescue. With our varying schedules, it's been difficult for each of us to connect and stay abreast of the latest developments.

Thanks and welcome!
Kristin Brown